Ramadan on the Net - The Five Pillars of the Muslim Faith

The Five Pillars of the Muslim Faith

Islam requires that all adherents perform five central duties, which are believed to strengthen their faith in and service to Allah. These duties are the 5 Pillars of Islam - the basic tenets of the faith, which all Muslims strive to perform, regardless of where they live or what sect they belong to.

Shahada (Shahaadah) (testimony of faith)
The testimony of faith is the most important pillar of Islam. To perform the testimony of faith, one is required to say with conviction at least once in his or her life: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." In order to convert to Islam, one must utter the shahaadah with complete conviction.

Salat (prayer)
Muslims pray five times daily, at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night. Prayer often occurs in a mosque, but Muslims may pray anywhere: inside or outside, in their office, home, school or elsewhere. While praying, one faces Mecca and strives to recite his or her prayers from memory. Ideally, saalat are recited in Arabic.

Zakat (almsgiving)
Charitable giving, or Zakat, is a requirement of faith for all Muslims. Used to benefit the poor, Zakat represents a fixed portion of one's wealth and assets. Beyond this requirement, one may also perform an act of charity (sadaqah) by donating additional funds to the needy. Historically, the zakat was collected by Muslim caliphate at the end of each year. In modern times, almsgiving is incumbent upon the individual Muslim - except for in Saudi Arabia, where Zakat is strictly enforced by the rule of Islamic law.

Siyam (Sawm) (fasting)
Sawm literally means any ritual fasting, but is generally understood to refer to ritual fasting during the month of Ramadan. From dawn to dusk for the entire month, Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking and engaging in sexual relations. Through this physical abstinence, Muslims are able to focus intently on their spiritual selves, atoning for their sins and recommitting to serving Allah.

Hajj (pilgrimage)
During the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah, some two million Muslims ascend to the holy city of Mecca for the Hajj, or pilgrimage. Every able-bodied Muslim is required - if their finances permit - to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. If performing the hajj will put an undue burden on one's family, he or she may appoint a proxy to fulfill this duty in his or her place. Once one completes a pilgrimage, he or she is able to add the title Haajj to his or her name. Islamic teachers are careful to warm, however, that the Hajj must be performed as an expression of devout faith - and not as a ploy to gain social status.

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Comments

tiffany from Maine, US

11:59 03/12/2010

i would go here a lot more than all of the others

Kayla Marceau from Maine, US

11:18 03/09/2010

helps with things

wade wilson from Washington, US

21:36 03/03/2010

the people in my school want let me pray in school but who is ever reading this yall can call me at (edited) and ask to speak for wade. Or yall can call my school please push 411. And ask for the foundation school in largo,maryland

Albania from United Kingdom (Great Britain)

16:29 02/22/2010

Very helpful, my project is now complete! :)

Joshua Biondo from Maine, US

14:15 02/22/2010

Helped me a lot!!!!!

tree

09:23 02/18/2010

helped me so much at school

soph from United Kingdom (Great Britain)

07:53 02/02/2010

not a bad wesite achally helped me with my r.e project so done the job cheers :-)

kyleene from Florida, US

08:21 02/01/2010

This article was very informitive i really enjoyed it keep up the great work I didnt know what the five pillars of faith were until now

Dee from Arizona, US

10:33 01/25/2010

this helped me on my project

shelly

11:53 01/22/2010

cool website!!;)

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